Beach Body Boot Camps

5 Austin boot camps that will kick your ass in the best way possible

Get fit, have fun this summer in Austin.

Look, all you really need to have a "bikini body" is to put a bikini on your body. That said, if you're looking to trim, tone, or lose some pounds, Austin's got an abundance of fitness fanatics that will put you through the paces. Here are our top picks for local boot camps that will have you confidently stripping down to your skimpiest suit.

Fighting Fit Boot Camp
Small classes, small gym, big results. Fighting Fit focuses on full-body fitness with a boxing bent. There are three body transformation paths: hatha yoga, martial arts, and overall fitness. Fighting Fit also offers kickboxing classes — 45 minutes each — which include bag work, not just punching at the air. This ain't your mama's kickboxing. Best part? It's inside! Visit the website to request a free class.

Stronghorn Fitness
The Stronghorn Fitness program is built around community. No startup fees, no contracts, no yelling. Find them in parks all over Austin swinging kettlebells and high-fiving. In addition to the eight-week cycle boot camps, you can join trail runs, track workouts, or participate in donation-based Sweaty Saturdays. Workouts are outdoors regardless of conditions. First week is always free.

Relentless Boot Camp
This CrossFit-centric boot camp will put your body to the test while providing guidance on proper nutrition and technique. With locations all over the city, workouts get progressively more challenging as you go along, and each month has a different focus on stamina, strength, or speed. What's fun about Relentless is it hosts outside social events like Flex in the City, Sweat & Sangria, Under The Bridge + Brunch, and free community workouts.

Of the Lion Fitness
Of the Lion's boot camp classes are offered twice weekly at its North Lamar location, and you pay monthly. Accountability is the thing here. If you skip class to eat Ben & Jerry's and watch Bravo, you may get a text from the instructor. Try your first week free, and if you're EMS, fire, military, a student, or teacher, Of the Lion offers a 15 percent discount.

HEAT Boot Camp
HEAT is hard core. One of the original boutique fitness studios, its approach to boot camp is a different one. Each "class" is a camp and utilizes all forms of equipment — TRX, Bosu, kettlebell, free weights, barbells, and body weight. It's indoors and geared towards being a way of life rather than a set amount of time. Coaches create their own programs so you can pick and choose. HEAT is currently running a trial membership special — 30 days for $50.

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Defensive Driving

Austin-based Tesla faces new probe focused on remote driving feature

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2.6 million Teslas.

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday, January 7 that Austin-based Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.

The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. That investigation covers 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

One driver filed a complaint after a crash while using Tesla's “Actually Smart Summon” technology and NHTSA is looking into another three similar incidents based on media reports, the NHTSA said. The agency is looking into 12 total incidents reported by users of the technology.

Each of the vehicles failed to detect posts and other parked vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Regulators say the vehicles struck objects because the users had "too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”

Shares of Tesla Inc. slid more than 4 percent in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

Musk has complained that U.S. regulations are too onerous and are holding back the development of self-driving cars. Ethics experts are worried that once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Musk will push him to ease oversight of Tesla, which just suffered its first decline in annual sales in more than a decade.

Musk donated an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign and is a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, vetting cabinet nominees and meeting with foreign heads of state. Trump has put Musk in charge of an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, that will recommend where to cut government expenses and staff at federal agencies and reduce regulation.

The NHTSA said it will look into the top speed that Teslas can reach when users deploy its “summons” technology, as well as restrictions on public roads and line of sights requirements. It also said it expects to check for any “connectivity delays" with the app that could result in increased stopping distance.

Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual says that its “summons” feature is designed for use only in parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads.

The new probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

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